Combined mop for cleaning bowling alley beds and gutters



April 21, 1953 R. H. JOHNSON COMBINED MOP FOR CLEANING BOWLING ALLEY BEDS AND GUTTERS Filed Sept. 30, 1948 3 .....V. 9- IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIII Gttornegs,

Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT o EIcE COMBINED MOP FOR CLEANING BOWLING- ALLEY BEDS AND GUTTERS Robert H. ohnson, Kansas CityQ Mo.

Application September 30, 1948, Serial No. 52,022

' '1 Claim. (Cl. 15-118) Thisinvention relates to a cleaning device and ing alley beds and gutters.

It is essential to keep bowling alley beds and gutters clean at all times to increase life of the shellac or lacquer placed upon their surfaces which is usually several times a season. Heretofore, it has been necessary to use a different tool for cleaning the gutter than the bed, thus entailing more expense and also not assuring proper cleaning of the gutters. For instance, if the bed is cleaned and polished dirt will be left in the gutters; and whendthe gutters areclean, a certain amount of dirt and dust will be returned to the bed along the edges of the gutters.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a device for sweeping both the bed and gutters of bowling alleys in one sweeping operation.

Other objects of the present invention are to provide a device of this character having a frame upon which a mop head may be carried for cleaning the bed of the alley and attachments on each end of the frame for mop heads transversely of the main mop head for cleaning the gutters; to provide a device of this character which may be utilized for cleaning the bed alone or the gutters alone or both in combination and providing means for quick assembly and disassembly of the gutter pieces to the bed or frame pieces; and to provide a device of this character simple, economical to manufacture, and eflicient in operation.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, 1 have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my cleaning device showing a fragmentation of the handle member.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section through a part of a mop head and gutter head of the device.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the main and gutter heads of my invention, the parts being shown in disassembled relation.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a cleaning device embodying the features of my invention, comprising a frame 2 consisting of an elongated block 3 of wood, metal or the like, having upstanding screw-threaded spaced shanks of bolts 4 and 5. The block 3 is of a length slightly shorter than the width of the bed 8 of a bowling alley usually approximately 42 more particularly to a device for cleaning bowlinches. A metallic strap I is provided havin spaced openings 8 adapted to engage over the threaded shanks 4 and 5, the strap] being longer than the block 3 and of a length substantially equal to the distance between the gutters of a bowling alley. The respective ends of the strap 1 are offset or turned downwardly from the block 3 for a purpose later described.

A bail 9 is provided to accommodate a handle I!) for ecuring the handle to the frame. The ball consists of a single strand of wire of suificient length to withstand ordinary strains in mops of this character and is formed by bending upon itself in substantially the center thereof to form an eye ll through which the handle can extend. The side arms I! and i3 of the bail are coiled to form eyes l4 and ii for engaging the bolts 4 and 5 on the block 3. A second bail I6 is provided comprising a wire bent upon itself as indicated at I1 and extends through an opening in the handle as indicated at l8 as is conventional practice, the arms [9 and 20 of the bail l6 also being provided with eyes for engaging the bolts 4 and 5. A ring 2| is provided for engaging over the wire and the end of the handle as indicated at 22 to retain the wire in engagement with the handle member. The eyes of the bails are adapted to engage the bolts 4 and 5 and 2: held in rigid relation thereto by thumb nuts With the device constructed and assembled as thus far described, the frame member 2, strap 1 and handle will be held in rigid relation, one to the other. A mop head or wiping element 24 formed of strings 25 sewed to a canvas member 26 is tied to the frame 2 by suitable means such as strings or ties 21, said wiping element extending around the ends of the block 3. The strings of the wiping element 24 are of such length that those adjacent the ends of the block 3 extend into the adjacent edge of the gutter portions of the alley. With the construction thus far described, the bed portion 6 of the bowling alley may be cleaned.

When it is desired to clean both the bed portion 6 and gutter portions 28, I provide subblocks 29 and 30, here shown to be elongated and transversely of the main block. The sub-block members are adapted to be held to the outer ends of the strap 1 by screws or the like 3! extending through openings 32 in the respective ends of the strip and engaged in substantially the center of the sub-block members 29 and 30. Mops 33 and 34 are provided for the sub-block members 29 and 30, formed of string and canvas as with the main mop head and fastened to the subblock members by ties or the like 35, said mops extending around the ends of the sub-block members 29 and 30. The offset portions 36 and 3'! of the strap 3 will allow the transverse subblocks 29 and 30 to extend below the main head and thus engage the bottom of the gutters 28.

It will be. obvious .from the. foregoing that I have provided an. improved cleaning device for bowling alleys having a plurality of brushing surfaces for cleaning both the bed and gutters of the bowling alley or with which the gutters or beds may be cleaned independently one of )the other.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

ing arms over said gutter portions, a handle, a bail on the handle adjacent one end thereof, said block having spaced bolt shanks extending from its upper face, said strap member having openings aligning with said shanks, said bail having spaced eyes thereon through which said shanks extend, means on said shanks for securing the bail to the main block to connect the handle thereto, sub-blocks removably carried by the arms of the offset portions of said strap member transversely of the main block and adapted to A cleaning device for bowling alleys having.

bed and gutter portions comprising, a frame including a main block, said block beingslightly shorter than the width of saidbed, a wiping element removably securedon' the main block andextendingaround the ends of same, said wiping element including a plurality of strings throughout the length thereof with the strings adjacent the endsof the mainblock of a length to extend into the edge of the gutter portion, an elongated strap member arranged longitudinally of the main block and extending outwardly from each end'of said main block, fastening means spaced fromthe ends of the main block removably mounting the strap member on the upper'face of the main block, the ends of said strap member-'beingofisetdownwardly and-outwardly formextend into the gutters on the respective sides of the alley bed, and wiping elements including a plurality of strings removably secured on said sub-blocks.

ROBERT H. JOHNSON.

,References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 

